Chapter 7
The south gate, through which the Saint was heading in her maid’s disguise, was the main entrance to the royal palace.
Alesto received the news of the Saint’s attempted escape without surprise.
It had been somewhat expected.
That was why he had deliberately instructed those on the third floor to leave her free and only assigned an owl to watch over her.
As expected. Her objective wasn’t here.
Now that it was confirmed the Saint had not approached him to infiltrate the palace, he needed to calculate when to retrieve her after letting her roam freely for a while.
“How long will it take for the Saint to pass through the south gate?”
Garnet hesitated briefly before offering a careful estimate.
“Comparing her speed at departure with her current pace… it seems it will take about sixteen hours.”
Even as Alesto had been reviewing documents, he finally looked up at that.
“Sixteen hours?”
“She ran briefly at first, but soon started walking. Right now… she seems exhausted. At this rate, it’s uncertain whether she could even make it out of the palace in a full day. On top of that, in Blossom Palace’s maid uniform, it seems difficult for her to get a carriage.”
In short, she was having a miserable time.
Somewhat unrelated, but Fredis Herman had a clear goal while raising Asha.
When she came of age and married, she wanted Asha to command a high bride price.
Asha was beautiful, but beauty alone wouldn’t fetch a high price.
According to Fredis, Asha needed to grow into a perfect beauty that would leave anyone in awe at first sight.
The three most important standards of beauty in that era were a slim waist, short height, and fair skin.
Fredis strictly controlled what her daughter ate and forbade her from going out unnecessarily. Sunlight would tan her skin, after all.
So how had that turned out?
“Huff… huff…”
Asha could barely walk for an hour, let alone run for a few minutes.
It was a dark night. The road stretched endlessly.
She trudged along until finally collapsing beside a roadside flowerbed.
She was hungry and had no strength to continue.
At first, she had thought she could manage anything.
The palace gate was far, but if a passing carriage appeared, she could catch a ride.
After all, she had read many novels.
The exhausted heroine walking a dark path would often encounter a carriage, a gentle coachman, and a small act of kindness.
“Where are you headed?”
And the story would often end with the heroine being safely delivered to her destination.
Of course, in reality she would be wary of a stranger’s offer, but in a novel, it seemed entirely plausible.
“And Asha is the heroine, right? A bit scary, but still… Ah! A carriage!”
Asha sprang up from the flowerbed, waving her arms wildly.
“Here! Over here! Wait!”
She shouted for help and waved, but the cold-hearted coachman ignored her entirely.
“Gone again!”
This was now the tenth carriage to pass without acknowledging her.
Unbeknownst to her, Blossom Palace maids were the top priority for the palace’s coachmen to watch.
Rumors had spread that palace servants and maids often went missing due to some incidents.
Asha merely thought life didn’t always go her way.
How far until she could actually leave the palace grounds? Would her strength last until then?
The night air grew colder, sweat cooled, and her body shivered. Her stomach was empty, and her legs had no strength…
“If the Crown Prince hadn’t sounded so composed earlier, I would’ve eaten more.”
She had felt capable of anything a moment ago, but now, before even leaving the palace, she felt she might collapse.
After a moment of thought, she looked back at the path she had come.
Despite walking diligently, the grand silhouette of the Crown Prince’s palace still loomed.
“…Maybe I should postpone the escape for today and return for now.”
She knew how to get out of the palace—she could try again later.
It didn’t seem too difficult.
Eat well, build up strength, find a small carriage, prepare proper clothing, pack some snacks…
With proper preparation, she could succeed next time.
The thought didn’t linger long; her body was too exhausted to reason clearly.
Ultimately, she decided to return to the Crown Prince’s palace.
“Ugh… my body. How am I even built like this?”
As she began trudging back, lights appeared behind her, gradually growing brighter.
Asha hugged the side of the flowerbed and kept walking without turning around.
After all, begging for a ride now would only result in being ignored and wasting energy.
It was fine. Though escaping was difficult, she could make it back to the palace at her own pace.
Then—
A carriage that should have passed her long ago was still behind, its sound slowly approaching.
Nervous, Asha turned to check.
The white, gold-trimmed carriage was familiar, bearing the Crown Prince’s flag.
Startled, she froze stiffly as the carriage stopped beside her.
The door opened, letting warm air spill out onto her cheeks.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
It was Alesto.
Asha swallowed dryly as she met his gaze.
“Just… taking a walk,” she said.
At that moment, his golden eyes seemed to glint sharply.
She suddenly understood the source of Alesto’s chilling aura—those eyes.
Yellow eyes had long been called the eyes of beasts.
Predatory birds and tigers, too, have yellow eyes.
“A walk? Do you plan to continue?”
See? Even with prey in front of him, the relaxed tone and slow speech were exactly like a predator.
Yet this predator was now in a warm, cozy carriage.
Indeed, the air spilling out from the open door was pleasantly warm. The seats looked plush, and the thick blankets inviting.
Asha studied the predator’s expression, and their eyes met.
She blinked.
“Huh?”
A strange instinct told her something crucial: this beast had no intention of harming her.
Perhaps that was why, facing him directly, she felt less fear than when avoiding his gaze.
Of course, “less fear” didn’t mean no fear.
Asha realized how fickle human emotions could be.
The distance she had thought she could walk without issue suddenly seemed far too tempting to ride along with the Crown Prince’s carriage.
Cautiously, she shook her head slightly.
“No, the walk is over… I’ll… ride with you?”
She stepped forward, and Alesto’s lips curved into a perfect, almost picturesque smile.
“Please, get in. Let’s go together.”
Asha eagerly climbed into the carriage, just as she had wanted.
She lifted her long skirt as she entered—
Wait. Something’s wrong. This feel… this weight… this shape…
“I’m still in my maid uniform!”
She had completely forgotten.
What should she say if he asks about her outfit? Any answer would seem suspicious.
Her body tingled with unease as her mind scrambled for a response.
“Should I just say maid uniforms are my thing? What if I look really weird?”
Yet Alesto never questioned her attire.
Instead, in a casual, joking tone, he said:
“A walk, huh? Good. For a moment, I thought you were trying to escape.”
Asha swallowed dryly.
